General Archives - Page 17 of 18 - North Point Elementary

ISTEP and IREAD testing dates released. ISTEP Experience can help students prepare.

Parents of 3rd through 8th graders and Penn sophomores, the Indiana Department of Education has released the testing windows for ISTEP+ and IREAD for the 2015-2016 school year. ISTEP will begin in late February and IREAD in mid-March. Part 1 of ISTEP will be done with paper/pencil and Part 2 will be done online.

New this year: In preparation for 2016 ISTEP+, the IDOE has now made ISTEP+ “Experience” available through Pearson, allowing students and parents to experience various technology-enhanced item types that will appear on the ISTEP+ Part 2 assessment as often as they like from home, at school, or on mobile devices. “Experience” is presented via the Pearson online platform (TestNav 8) that will be used for ISTEP+ online testing, as well as IREAD-3 online testing. P-H-M families can access ISTEP+ “Experience” through the P-H-M District website, as well as through the link provided on the RESOURCES menu of every school website.

Indiana Statewide Testing of Educational Progress Plus (ISTEP+ ) Grades 3-8, and 10*

Window Begins Window Ends

ISTEP+ Part 1 – paper/pencil February 29, 2016 March 11, 2016
(Applied Skills)

ISTEP+ Part 2 – online April 18, 2016 May 6, 2016
(Multiple-choice & Technology-Enhanced Items)

*New this year, high school sophomores will be required to take ISTEP

Indiana Reading And Evaluation Determination-3 (IREAD-3) Grade 3

IREAD-3 March 14, 2016 March 18, 2016

For more information on the state assessment testing windows, please visit the Indiana Department of Education website, www.doe.in.gov/assessment.

Northpoint ranked among best in the nation!

Two Penn-Harris-Madison schools make the grade in national rankings of the nation’s top public schools … Northpoint Elementary came in at #27 of the 2015 list of “50 Best American Public Elementary Schools” by TheBestSchools.org and Discovery Middle school came in at #50 of “50 Best American Public Middle Schools.”

Northpoint was cited for its academic performance, the strength and richness of its programs, and for earning National Blue Ribbon School status in 2010.

Other rankings for Northpoint include:

“A+” grade by LocalSchoolDirectory.com
a grade of 97 by City-data.com
Rated 10 out of 10 by Education.com
“A” grade by K12.Niche.com
Ranked 4 out of 1014 schools with a 5 star rating by Schooldigger.com

Discovery is also an “A” rated school. Best Schools recognized Discovery for students participating in the Horizons STEM Conference, Academic Team Competitions, National Junior Honor Society and the Discovery Scholastic Art Competition.

Other rankings for Discovery include:

Ranked #4 in the state by SchoolDigger.com
Rated 10 (on a scale of 10) by GreatSchools.com
Rated 10 (on a scale of 10) by Education.com

Overall, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is an “A-rated” school district from the Indiana Department of Education.

P-H-M performed in the top 5% of all Indiana districts on ISTEP+, with an overall passing rate of 91% in English/Language Arts and 93% in Math in 2014.
91% of P-H-M third graders passed the IREAD-3 proficiency exam on the first attempt, compared with 84% in the state overall.
P-H-M has seven Four Star schools, as named by the IDOE. They are: Horizon Elementary, Mary Frank Elementary, Prairie Vista Elementary, Northpoint Elementary, Discovery Middle, Grissom Middle, and Penn High School.
Thirteen P-H-M schools earned an ‘A’ grade from the Indiana Department of Education.

Penn High School is again an elite 90-25-90 school. Penn’s performance far exceeds each of these three academic benchmarks, with a 97% graduation rate

On Sept. 29, 2015, Prairie Vista Elementary School was among the 335 schools awarded National Blue Ribbon School status for 2015. Prairie Vista was recognized as an “Exemplary High Performing School.” This makes the second time that Prairie Vista has been named a Blue Ribbon school; the first award was given in 1996-97. And for the past seven years, the Indiana Department of Education has also recognized Prairie Vista as a Four Star School.

Prairie Vista’s 2015 recognition makes the eighth time that a P-H-M school has received the National Blue Ribbon designation: Penn High School in 1994, 1995 and again in 2001; Discovery Middle School in 2006 and 2013; Northpoint Elementary School in 2010; and Prairie Vista received the award for the first time in 1996.

Be Prepared for the Cold

It's that time of year again when the weather gets fickle. Sunny and warm, rainy and cold, possibly snow; we just never know in October. Please make sure your child comes to school dressed for outside recess. We will go outside if it is zero or above and the weather permits. We ask that students are dressed and prepared for the changes that October brings.

Thanks for your help. We want them to enjoy their recess time.

Take the Speak Up survey – because your opinion counts!

Speak Up is a national research initiative that seeks to gather widespread input on the topic of educational technology.

Each fall the Speak Up survey is posted online so students, parents, teachers, school staff, and the general public can share their views on technology in schools.

The Speak Up survey has three primary objectives:

To provide a means for local schools and districts to easily and effectively listen to and act upon the ideas of their stakeholders
To provide a conduit for the voices of education stakeholders, most notably students, to inform national and state policies and programs
To stimulate new local discussions around the use of technology within education.

Survey results are typically released in February, and are important to those who shape educational policy, direct school finance, create curriculum, and implement technology in our schools.

Penn-Harris-Madison participates in the survey in part because we are recipients of a Digital Learning Grant that helps to fund our technology.

Another reason we support Speak Up is because the results can be helpful in the development of our formal technology plans. Each P-H-M school develops and follows a 3-year technology plan that outlines its goals for educational technology and directs how resources may be spent to achieve those goals.

Here’s a link to learn more about the SPEAK UP survey and the agency that conducts the research, Project Tomorrow. Get answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Speak Up here.

Or, you may want to just jump right in and take the survey!

Parents and community members CLICK HERE to TAKE THE SPEAK UP SURVEY NOW

The survey takes 15-20 minutes to complete and you will not need to create an account. The survey will be open until December 18 and the link on this webpage will remain active until then.

P-H-M staff and students will have opportunities to take their version of the Speak Up survey at school / at work through arrangements made in the coming weeks.

Follow these procedures when dropping off and picking up students

Safety first!

Our car rider procedures will help Northpoint parents move more quickly through the line and assure student safety as well. Click here to see the map and read the procedures.

Thank you for your cooperation!

Looking Ahead to 2015-2016

As an “A”-rated school district, Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation excels at providing an excellent education for our students! And the 2015-2016 School Year will be no different!

This year P-H-M has several new initiatives:

For the first time this year, 2,500 middle schoolers at Schmucker, Grissom and Discovery Middle Schools will receive Google Chrome Books! Last year, all 3,500 students at Penn High School received them. That makes 6,000 students in P-H-M with personal Chrome Books—more than half of our student population!
P-H-M’s Transportation Department is utilizing GPS tracking and the latest technology to help parents up-to-date with their child’s bus routing. Through the web-based infoFinder i and “Here Comes the Bus” website and smart phone app, P-H-M continues to provide great customer service to our families.
130 Penn High School students are on track to be in the Graduation Cohort of 2019 of the Penn Academy of Early College. In this unique program, Penn High School has partnered with Ivy Tech Community College to offer a selection of courses, including dual credit courses, that can potentially earn a student college credits up to an Associate Degree by the time the student graduates.
P-H-M continues to build community partnerships to help enhance the quality education, resources, along with extra and co-curricular activities we offer to our students. One such partnership is with Teacher’s Credit Union. On August 28, Penn High School’s football field, formerly known as Freed Field will be dedicated as TCU Freed Field. TCU will also work with P-H-M teachers and staff to provide financial education opportunities to our students and families.
In keeping with P-H-M’s Vision of Excellence, P-H-M established Exceptional Education, an in-house department whose goal is to provide special education services for students with identified needs. P-H-M’s goal is to provide an inclusive, cooperative, excellent education to ALL our students.
100% of P-H-M teachers are rated “Effective” or “Highly Effective” by the state DOE standards and evaluations. This is because we invest in our teachers and educational staff by offering year round professional learning opportunities. This will continue to be an important initiative of P-H-M.

Highlights from 2014-2015:

Here’s a look back at the school district accomplishments achieved by our schools, students, teachers and staff from last school year:

P-H-M students perform in the top 5% of all Indiana districts on ISTEP+
P-H-M has seven Four Star schools, as named by the IDOE. They are: Horizon Elementary, Mary Frank Elementary, Prairie Vista Elementary, Northpoint Elementary, Discovery Middle, Grissom Middle, and Penn High School.
Prairie Vista Elementary School was named a finalist for the 2015 National Blue Ribbon School (announcement to come in the fall of 2015).
Northpoint Elementary School was ranked #27 in the nation among 70,000 schools by the organization TheBestSchools.org. Northpoint was cited for its academic performance, the strength and richness of its programs, and for earning National Blue Ribbon School status in 2010.
Discovery Middle School Science Teacher Shelia Toth was named P-H-M Teacher of the year and was nominated for 2015 Indiana Teacher of the Year (announcement to come in fall 2015).
Penn High School Principal Steve Hope was named Indiana District 2 High School Principal of the Year.
Penn High School ranks as the seventeenth best high school in the state by U.S. News and World Report, moving up from bronze to silver since the last U.S. News and World Report Ranking.
With a 97% graduation rate and a 90-25-90 rating by the IDOE, more than half of Penn High School’s graduating seniors receiving Academic Honors diplomas—a first for Penn High School—with a third earning High Honors, a distinction reserved for those with a 3.5 GPA or higher. Ninety-one graduates received Technical Honors diplomas, a tribute to the strength of the district’s STEM programs. Twelve seniors were named National Merit Finalists. There were 17 valedictorians and two salutatorians. Three seniors have earned coveted appointments to United States Military Academies. The combined value of their collegiate scholarships exceeds $8.5 million!
Over the Summer of 2015, Morgan Ludwig and Emma Moon, now rising seniors at Penn High, earned Congressional Award Gold Medals. Moon received her on honor on Capitol Hill from Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R-IN, 2^nd District). Ludwig received hers from Walorski at her Mishawaka District Office. The United States Congress awards medals to ambitious young Americans who set and meet goals in four program areas: Volunteer Public Service, Personal Development, Physical Fitness, and Expedition/Exploration.
Winning works of art by 13 Gold Key Scholastic Art Award winners from Penn were included and judged in the Scholastic Art Awards’ national exhibit.
The Black Knights, Penn High’s advanced robotic team, received the prestigious Chairman’s Award at state competition hosted by Indiana FIRST Robotics, then went on to represent Indiana in international competition.
The Baker's Dozen, a FIRST Lego League Robotics team made up of Horizon Elementary and Discovery Middle School students, attended the Razorback International Invitational at the University of Arkansas, competing against 71 teams from 31 states and 12 countries. The Baker's Dozen captured 1st place for Robot Strategy and Innovation, and earned a 4th place trophy in the Robot Game competition.
Penn High School TEAMS (Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science) did very well at national competition in June 2015: Penn’s 9/10 Team was named the Indiana State Champions; Penn’s 11/12 Team 1 brought home the 3rd place trophy in the Problem-Solving Competition; and Penn’s 11/12 Team 2, brought home the 2nd place trophy in the Written Competition. These students are coached by Mrs. Becky Tagliaferri.
Penn’s Spell Bowl Team won its 14^th state championship with a perfect score of 90. The team is led by Mr. Pete DeKever and its success is based on the hard work of eighteen dedicated team members.
Schmucker Spell Bowl Team brought home the Spell Bowl State Championship for the third time in the school’s history. The team is led by Mrs. Sue Dale.
The Penn High School Symphonic Winds were awarded 1st place at ISSMA state finals, tying with Carmel. The Penn High Orchestra also did a tremendous job in the competition and judges awarded them a 6th place finish.
Penn Boys Baseball won the 4A State Championship and senior catcher Tim Lira was named the L.V. Phillips Attitute Award Winner. This is the fourth state championship for head coach Greg Dikos, whose other big wins came in 1994, 1998 and 2001.
Penn Baseball coach Greg Dikos was named the Indiana Boys Coach of the Year by the South Bend Tribune.
Penn pitcher Skylar Szynski was chosen to represent the Chicago White Sox in the 2015 Area Code Baseball Games played in California in August 2015.
Penn Varsity Wrestling won the Team State Wrestling championship, after seven contenders advanced to state finals. The team championship is a celebrated first for Penn Wrestling.
Kobe Woods earned the Individual State Wrestling championship in his weight class. Penn last had an individual state champion wrestler in 1971.
Chase Osborn who earned the Individual State Wrestling Championship in his weight class, was the recipient of the Ward E. Brown Mental Attitude Award, issued by the Indiana High School Athletic Association, and also named MVP of NIC Wrestling.
Football coach Cory Yeoman was named Northern Indiana Conference Coach of the Year. He led the Kingsmen through a 12-1 season and on to the Class 6-A semi-state.
Penn Boys Rugby won the state championship, while Penn Girls Rugby took second place at the state tournament. Penn Boys Rugby also competed and placed in the top ten at the national tournament.
Penn Softball coach Beth Zachary was named NIC Coach of the year.
Penn Girls Soccer coach Jeff Hart was named NIC Coach of the year and District I Coach of the Year by the Indiana Soccer Coaches Association.
Penn Girls Cross Country coach Josh Fletcher was named NIC Coach of the year.
Penn Boys Tennis coach Eric Bowers was named NIC Coach of the year.
Penn Boys Golf coach Tony Polizzzotto was named NIC Coach of the year.
Penn High School is the Northern Indiana Conference All-Sports Award winner for the 21st consecutive year.
Thirty-nine Penn student-athletes signed letters of intent to attend colleges and universities across the country; 12 of them with Division 1 Schools.
Glenn Northern, Penn band director and head of Penn’s Fine Arts Academy, was presented Phi Beta Mu’s Outstanding Bandmaster Award by the Indiana Chapter of the International Bandmaster’s Fraternity.
Superintendent Jerry Thacker was chosen by Indiana University South Bend to receive the 2015 IUSB Distinguished Alumni Award. He was recognized for his accomplishments at the May commencement ceremony.
Sean Galiher, principal of Schmucker Middle School, was named by the St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce to the 2015 class of “Forty Under 40” as a young professional who’s making a difference.
Tom Hartman, Director of Facilities, was named the 2015 Indiana Support Professional of the Year by IASBO (Indiana Assn. of School Business Officials).

A Great Start to a New School Year!

Alarm clocks were set early. The weather cooperated beautifully. Children got themselves ready for school while parents snapped photos. Then the yellow buses started to roll and School Year 2015-2016 was underway!

Today was the first day of school for grades 1-12 at Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation. We welcomed back more than 10,600 students to our 15 schools. About 700 kindergartners, members of the future Class of 2028, attended orientation sessions with their parents and families getting prepared for their first day tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 20. And close to 800 seniors, making up the Class of 2016, followed a Gold Day schedule at Penn High School.

We want to see all your “1^st Day of School” photos. We asked parents, families and high school students to snap, tag ‪and share their pictures on Facebook and Twitter using #‎PHMBACK2SCHOOL. Go to our channels or check out our picture gallery on the home page to get a glimpse.

The start of school also means new faces at the front of the classroom as well! Last week, we also welcomed more than 50 new teachers to P-H-M. Click here to see their friendly faces.

Thank you to ALL our students, parents, teachers and staff for all the great pictures. Here’s to a great year!

Girls grades 3-8 can join the Penn Girls Basketball League!

Girls in grades 3 through 8 are invited to be part of a community-sponsored girls basketball league run by PHS girls varsity basketball coach, Kristi Kaniewski Ulrich.

JUNIOR LEAGUE is for girls in grades 3 through 6.

SENIOR LEAGUE is offered for girls in grades 7 and 8.

Sign-up takes place on Sunday, August 30 in the Penn High School Arena from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

The league begins on Sunday, September 13.

This is a great opportunity to learn the game, pick up skills, build fitness and make friends!

Click here to access the informational flyers and the registration form.

Learn about and join P-H-M’s FIRST LEGO League!

Calling all parents of P-H-M students in grades 4-8^th … is your child interested in robotics?

Does your child love playing with LEGOs®?

Then P-H-M’s FIRST® LEGO® League is your answer!

WHO: 4^th-8^th grade P-H-M students, families, elementary and middle school teachers

WHAT: FIRST® LEGO® League (sponsored by Penn Robotics, Team 135)

WHEN: Wednesday, August 5
7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Penn High School, Door J
56100 Bittersweet Rd Mishawaka, IN 46545

WHY:

P-H-M’s FIRST® LEGO® League is sponsored by Penn Robotics, Team 135. Penn’s team was a 2015 Indiana District-Kokomo City winner of the FIRST® Robotics Competition; Penn’s team also won the Chairman’s award. FIRST® LEGO® League is a national program that introduces younger students to real-world engineering challenges by building LEGO-based robots to complete tasks on a thematic playing surface. This year’s challenge will be Trash Trek: discovering the hidden world of garbage!

In FLL, elementary and middle-school students (ages 9-14) get to:

Design, build, test and program robots using LEGO MINDSTORMS® technology
Apply real-world math and science concepts
Research challenges facing today’s scientists
Learn critical thinking, team-building and presentation skills
Participate in tournaments and celebrations

What FLL teams accomplish is nothing short of amazing. It’s fun. It’s exciting. And participants learn skills that will last a lifetime.

Come learn all about joining P-H-M’s FIRST® LEGO® League. Register, find out about the resources and get the season timeline.

Keep an Eye Out for Information Coming and Upcoming Events

We will be sending our welcome back letter in early August. You will also receive a letter the week of August 13^th with your child’s teacher placement information. Students entering third grade will loop with their teacher from second grade, unless otherwise notified. Fifth grade students will loop with their fourth grade teacher for their Language Arts block, unless otherwise notified. Changes do occur within the looping classes.

Our Ice Cream Social will be held on Monday, August 17^th from 4:30-6:00 p.m. The social is held outside on the school grounds and all kindergarten through fifth grade families are encouraged to attend. Class lists will be posted at this time, since the letter will only contain the name of your child’s teacher. New parents of students in first through fifth grade can meet at 5:30 in our L.G.I. for a brief tour of the school. If you are a parent of a kindergartener, please do not attend this tour. Kindergarten orientation is on the 19^th. Parents and their kindergarten children should attend. The orientation is from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Kindergarten students will then start their first full day on August 20^th.

The first day of school is scheduled for August 19^th for first through fifth grade.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!!